The students walk into your classroom, it’s hot, they’re bored from listening to the rules all day, and it’s their first music class of the year. You go over the rules and make sure they remember the procedures, that takes about 5 minutes..right? So if you’re me you have 35 minutes left to get the students back into loving music class  from day one. So what do I do? Get the music flowing! It is time to compose our beats, pass out the instruments and rock out. Here is a quick rhythm writing activity that can be modified to fit each grade level K-5:

Materials:

– 2 beach balls with notes and rests  drawn on to them.

-Percussion instruments

-Whiteboard with markers

Description:

-Get one, two, or three staff lines set up on the board. Modify this depending on the class you have, example would be one line for K and 1, two lines for 2 and 3, and three lines for 4 and 5. Each line would be a separate rhythmic ostinato part so you can divide your class into different groups to play each line.

-Start bopping the beach balls around the class like popcorn, let the students know when you start counting down 3..2..1..DONE who ever has the balls must hold them and tell you what note or rest is under their right hands. Have a few practice rounds before you start writing it down. Try to have the ball land on different people each time.

-When you have your ostinatos pass out instruments and assign parts. I try to have at least one strong rhythmic student on each part and will coax the other members in the same group to watch that person to keep the beat because obviously you cannot play 3 parts at once.

-Practice each part as a class before you start putting them together. My students know when I say ostinato they know to keep repeating until I play a finishing drum sound or give a vocal que.

-Once you are playing as a group together ,get grooving to the beat! If you groove they will too. I will stop and switch up parts if we have extra time too. If you want to go the extra mile, record it and have them watch the fun next class and give you describing words about their ensemble.

Tech Variations:If you’re looking for a way to integrate technology into this lesson take out the whiteboard and markers and use a notation software on your teacher computer. There are a few options for free software; Finale notepad, QComposer on Quavermusic.com, Noteflight, and Musescore are just a few. Another tech variation on this activity is to add a little background beat to your composition with Garageband loops. Have it prepared or choose a couple of those techie angel students to make one that will go along as the class plays.

This activity is simple and gets the students comfortable and familiar with what you do again. Don’t want to write rhythms? Go for melodies and use Orff instruments. It’s a simple activity that gets you groovin’ from the start.

Now that I’ve had a little experience teaching I’m in the process of changing and improving the way I do things to make it easier for me and give me more time with my students. One of the biggest things I have spent almost 6 months looking into is the perfect tools to replace my word and excel documents for attendance, grades, and behavior. Every quarter I have to place grades into sheets for teachers. To get those grades I spend at least 20-30 minutes combined a day to add the grades in. My classes are back to back most days with about 20 seconds in between for transition times. I don’t have a ton of time to spend inputting grades. So what I began searching for was an Ipad app that could do everything I wanted. An Ipad app would allow me to be mobile, start class on time (The activity I start class with is 90% student lead most times), and be able to input quick behavior notes and grades without having to make time to visit my desktop which wastes class time and sometimes when time is not available leaves me trying to remember grades at the end. After several tries I think I finally found an app; TeacherPal http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/teacherpal/id389584618?mt=8

Now this app is free from iTunes so there is no money lost if it does not work out. When you first launch it your virtual desk with long empty hallway for your classes will appear:

You need to add your classes by hitting the + button on the top left. I teach elementary general music so there are many classroom now in my hallway which took some time, but an hour now will save me 4 later. I labeled each class with the teacher name and what grade level they were for the upcoming year:

I love the hallway portion. It allows me to have my classes all in front of me and the hallway acts just like a normal school hallway, the lights turn on and off, the bugs crawl over the plants, and the doors open right up, it’s kind of cool.

Once the classroom is set up you can enter it to begin entering in your student information by clicking the + button on the upper right corner. The great part about this is you can enter not only student names but parent contact info and pictures to help you learn names when September arrives. The student pictures can be uploaded to your IPad or you can take their pictures using the Ipad camera.

 After all of your student information has been put in you can start playing around. When inside a full classroom you can drag the virtual desks around to create new seating plans (if you are unhappy with your current seating chart just hit the reorganize button to start fresh!):

Taking attendance is as simple as clicking the attendance tab at the top and touching the desk once with your finger if they are there and twice if absent which is recorded right away. If you have a rowdy student one day, go to the behavior tab and click their desk to write a note which is recorded into their information. When recording assignments in the grade book tab it looks a lot like this: 

          Just like a normal grade you can add in graded assignments.  

  Other features of TeacherPal include Dropbox integration and ability to send out mass emails to students and parents by class.

I turned a few other teachers on to this app over the summer and we hope to test it out together come September. So far I like how it works and it will be interesting to take it into the classroom!

It seems reflecting has been popular this summer, reading what everyone else has been reflecting made me think about my own career. The successes I’ve collected since graduating with my undergraduate degree have come so plentiful that it seems so hard for even myself to believe I am now where I am at. 10 years ago no one would have imagined me here. I was a shy band geek who was finding myself either in the band room or on the field hockey field with big dreams to be a top egyptologist working in the Cairo Museum working alongside Dr. Zahi Hawass (Yes ladies and gentlemen you may add another notch to my “nerd” belt). Things seemed to change after a while and a new route was formed into the real world that was such a big change.

Now I find myself getting ready to head into my 3rd year of teaching shoulder deep in it all.  It has been all about learning how to create the perfect classroom enviroment and form the best program I can for my students. I’ve struggled to get there but in the process I learned a lot, found so much support, figured out who I really am as a teacher (remember? the crazy one in the kilt whose not afraid to do the Hokey Pokey and turn myself about?) and really found my niche in the music education world, technology.

I’d never thought in a million years I would be finding myself with the doors that have been opened, the friends I’ve made or the roads I started traveling down. I’ve learned hard work, passion and a lot of heart can get you a long way,  to show compassion towards your students but don’t take it personal if they are rude it might just be a bad day, and always have confidence in what you do. Also, never be afraid to ask for help, you don’t know everything.

    It’s only been a few years since I’ve started this whole journey. Without the support I’ve received, the connections I’ve made, and the inspiration and drive so many others have instilled in me I wouldn’t be where I am. I’ve made a strong start, it’s only going to get stronger from here.

      To be a good educator not only do you need to be on top of your game, creative, outgoing, ready to be there for your students. You also have to realize there are going to be days when down time is going to be a necessity not only for your students but probably for you as well. This time might come when you are out and a substitute might need to take over, or maybe it is right before a vacation where no one is able to keep on task. Maybe you are like me you’re voice is gone, you have a slight case of the chills and a lot of work to do but just don’t have the courage to call in sick. These are some of the best excuses to pop in a DVD and have a relaxing class just watching a video. Of course, it’s unnecessary to have a large collection of DVDs especially as a music teacher. My collection is kept in a small milk crate and that is more than plenty of room. Below are the 5 DVDs or DVD sets that my students love and cannot get enough of. 

Quaver Music- This is an amazing program which not only includes a DVD series with 10-20 minute lesson enhancement videos that teach students certain musical concepts, but also includes teacher guides with activity suggestions, worksheets, and access to a free student website. These DVDs are fantastic and my students cannot get enough of them, they retain concepts and enjoy learning. The great part about these is that even if you are out, the teacher guides are so easy to follow you can leave a lesson for a substitute and even if they are not musically inclined they go over successfully.

Stomp (Out Loud and Live)- Best DVDs ever. Both are of performances by the crew of STOMP. Perfect to show when you are out or when your students have completed a killer unit about recycled percussion, rhythm, or body percussion. The hard and fast sounds and jaw dropping rhythms keep the attention of not only the kids but you as well!

Little Amadeus Series-  I have the whole 1st season on DVD and my K-2 students are slightly obsessed. The whole premise behind the show is following the child version of Amadeus Mozart through his life and adventures. It talks about music during the time he lived, plays certain pieces, and shows the lifestyle of the people back then. It is great to teach students about classical music and the history of a lot of the famous works we still here today. Be careful though, this series has a few words and one or two scenes that you might not be able to show to students. Preview an episode before you show it!

Jazz Cat- A Reading Rainbow episode featuring the book “Jazz Cat”. I tend to teach my younger students a little about Jazz towards the end of the year and this is a video I will show every once in a while. They get the jazz vibe and Lamar does a great job teaching them about the jazz ensembles and improv.

Zin Zin Violin- Another Reading Rainbow episode but this one features the book “Zin Zin Violin” . I teach instruments of the orchestra to my 1st graders and instrument families of the orchestra to my 3rd graders. I usually show this video to them after each unit is complete as a cumulative review. We discuss the instruments they see, they then get to watch how an orchestra works.

       After working 2 years in two different elementary schools I’ve had my ups and had my downs. Luckily it has been more ups than downs creating memorable stories to last me a life time. Here are some funny (or insane..I’ll leave that up to you) dos and donts collected from my experiences:

1. Summer fever starts after the winter holidays– You all know this is true…

2. Stickers will get you a lot- I have a stash of about a thousand sitting in my desk. Need your room cleaned during recess? BRIBE THEM WITH STICKERS! Need materials made for a new class activity and the rest of the class is watching a video? BRIBE THEM WITH STICKERS!  Stickers are like the children’s new fashion accessory the more bright and colorful stickers they can stick on themselves, the cooler they look.

3. Giving your students sugar is a bad idea- Lethal in large doses, sugar can cause children to gain super powers. Able to leap a hopscotch grid in a single bound, faster than a speeding hot wheels.. sugar is a powerful weapon.

4. Food in the teachers room will magically vanish in seconds- One time, I brought in a tray of fresh baked cinnamon rolls..went to the restroom..came back out and my rolls had magically vanished! It’s magical food trickery I tell you!!

5.Marching around the playground playing bagpipes will get you a lot of attention- You’ll also be labeled as a crazed maniac who wears a kilt whenever the time seems awkward enough. Any non sensical activity that can seem crazy, awkward, or just down right funny will get you a lot of attention. Some good, some bad, but if you’re a person who practices the phrase “I don’t care what other people think” your non sensical activities turn into a darn good time.

6.If you don’t leave your room, cabin fever sets in- Talking to yourself, wanting to run down the hall yelling, dancing at random times of the day? YOU’VE GOT THE FEVER! Not to worry though this fever is solved with a little social interaction! But of course, a little craziness never hurt. Putting on a fruit hat and doing the cha cha while singing cabin fever is never a bad site to see! Make sure all video cameras are destroyed first..

7.If they ask to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes- They either are not admitting to an issue that they should see the nurse for..OORRR you’ve got a skipper! What they don’t realize though is that the test they just skipped out on will be waiting for them when they get back and the rest of their class is at recess. Hehehe.

8.DON’T GET DOWN LOW- So a song is playing, you are dancing right along with your students having fun and getting their craziness out. All of a sudden the music tells you to get down low on the floor. You do so and..CRACK! something in that body of yours makes a noise and you can’t move. Your kids laugh at first as you lay helpless like a turtle on the floor but then all rush to your side as you laugh in pain unable to roll over and slide yourself into your chair until they give you breathing room. It doesn’t matter how old or how young, you can’t bend like a 4th grader anymore! From personal experience, to avoid the turtle pose and ice packs in places you don’t want later STAY STANDING.

9.Trying to use the teachers room bathroom- I wish you good luck…Sometimes the only adult bathroom around in a lot of buildings this sacred bathroom is one to be revered if gained access to. Usually busy most of the day with constant traffic this bathroom filled with magazines, fresh and good smelling scents, and uniquely scented soaps can be a highlight of any teachers day. C’mon on, there is only so much use of the tiny toilets or bathroom stalls you can take!

10.Purchase a lot of colorful duct tape- You will use this magical fix it material found at our local office or craft supply store whether it’s to quickly fix a broken instrument, decorate a piece of office equipment, or to tape your rug to the floor so your students stop picking it up during class!! It serves not only as a great last minute fix it tool but also a great way to occupy the younger children in your classes with the purdy shiny colorful swirly thingys…*stares at pile of tape*

I just saw another epic adventure brought to you by the inspiring minds of Pixar. Reminds me of what keeps me inspired, that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what you’ve done..you have the chance to change your fate and bring freedom and joy into the life you lead.

Our freedom, pride, destiny. The characteristics that make us who we are, can they be changed? We are born into a certain story with certain expectations and a plot all ready to follow. What happens when we rip that page of the book out? Can we change that plot into our own story?

Have you ever watched a class of students slink into your room, you know their stories..you have expectations on their fates but their story isn’t set in stone. The pages of their book that are already written can be ripped apart and bound into a whole different adventure. Remember, to never judge a student’s destiny by their cover. Even though we may not be the cutest or even blue in color, teachers are the wisps of the real world forest, we can show them the way to their new story, a story bound by their own bravery to venture out and climb the cliffs drinking from courage built inside of themselves.

So when you venture out into the woods, judging the travelers by where they come from or how they look (even if their appearance mirrors those of creatures you’d rather not meet in a dark forest). Help them to rewrite their story in their own way. Change their fate..

Like most elementary general music teachers I LOVE to read to my students in class and have built up quite a library of books. All of them have a relationship to music, some of them require activities to do with the students to tie in the story but some of them are interactive all on their own. Here is 5 books I have read to my students that are proven hits and some activities to go along with them:

Berlioz the Bear by Jan Brett tells the story of poor Berlioz the Bear whose string bass has a mysterious buzzing sound. His orchestra is on its way to the village square to a concert and gets stuck. After a large group of animals tries to pull their wagon out Berlioz finds out the reason his bass has been buzzing…A BEE! The bee stings the donkey pulling the cart of musicians and runs down to the square getting the musicians there on time. I tend to read this book as my younger grades start to learn about the orchestra. We talk about why an orchestra warms up, concert etiquette, and the different instruments shown in the book.

 I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello  by Barbara S. Garriel is a play on the series of books entitled I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a…  The shy fellow in this story shows off his enormous appetite for instruments swallowing everything he can get his hands on. After he swallows as much as he can the instruments explode back out and into the hands of their owners again. This is a great book for younger students who are just getting use to instrument names. After he swallows each instrument we’ll talk about it and after they explode out of his mouth I will ask questions about the instrument to see how much they have retained!

Carnival of the Animals by Jack Prelutsky is a series of poems dedicated to the song Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens. Each section of the book is about the animals in the song giving a short poem about each one. The greatest part about this book is there is a CD that goes along with it. It narrates each poem by Jack Prelutsky himself and plays each portion of the song. The last track on the CD is the whole song. I will post pictures from  the animals all around the room and play the track. The students must listen to each portion of the song and stand by the corresponding animal. I stop after each portion of the track to say which animal it was so students know if they were correct or incorrect.

 Pete the Cat  by Eric Litwin is a series of 3 books. Pete the Cat I love my White Shoes, Pete the Cat Rockin’ in My School Shoes, and Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. Each book tells the story of Pete the Cat and his love for his clothes. Each book also has it’s own song that will get stuck in your head..I love my white shoes..I love my white shoes..OH NO! IT’S STUCK IN MY HEAD! With each book have your students sing along, don’t worry they will know the words after the first page. To go further with the song notate it and have your students play along with it. With the first book I love My White Shoes I have my kindergartners color a shoe and we put it into a book and sing along to the book before I pass the book off to the teachers as a gift. It’s a fun activity for all!

 Freddie the Frog  by Sharon Burch is a fantastic series I recently found this year. Each book tells of an adventure Freddie and his pal Eli go on around their home of Treble Clef Island. Each adventure secretly teaches the students a musical concept and tests them at the end. The students are surprised at first not knowing they learned anything at all until rethinking the book and that little lightbulb  suddenly turns on. These books are interactive in themselves providing activities and songs for students to take part in. Make sure you have the Freddie the Frog puppet to read along with the CDs. Students are completely engaged watching you talk with it.

Check out Amazon.com to get all of these books for your collection!

I’ve talked a lot about Quavermusic this year. It has been used a lot in my teaching and me being me I wanted to make sure it’s use was meaningful and productive to my students. The best way I’ve found to use the site is to give what I call “missions” to my students. In other words, a web quest. It is a series of steps that direct a student around a website or series of websites to make it a meaningful lesson or experience. What I give is a short and sometimes funny or out there introduction before giving them the steps to complete. I keep them short because of my class time limit and my students that complete these are only 3rd through 5th! Here are my top 8 in no particular order, it is the concept, the introduction, and then the steps to complete:

Pitch:
High to low, low to high, up and down it’s worth a try! Did you know, without pitch melodies would be quite boring? Follow the steps below to discover the meaning of the musical word ‘pitch’!

Clown pitch game – Head to the lab and click on the organ. You will travel to the ear carnival! Practice listening for high and low pitch on the first game. All you have to do is read the directions and poke the right clown on the seesaw.

Bell game– There is a hidden bell game in the shop! How exciting! Find the game and play it. Read the directions carefully, it’s not about size it’s about sound!

Qcomposer– Now here is the test. Head to the studio and click on the piano. Write me a 3 measure melody on the top line. Remember our melody writing rules and only use quarter and eighth notes!

Melody:
Laaaa laaa laaa. I feel like singing today! But what shall I sing? Can you help me? Make your way through Quavermusic.com to find me the perfect melody! Hurry up though I can’t hold out singing much longer!

Play melody on piano on front of building– B A G A, B B B, A A A, B B B, B A G A, B B B, A A B A G..what is that mysterious melody? Play it on the piano on the front of the shop and write your guess on the board!

Ear carnival intervals– Head to the lab and click on the organ. You will travel to the Quaver ear carnival! Play the game in the middle. Listen to each note and try to figure out how many spaces apart they sound. Click on the right cup before time runs out!

Qcomposer– Here’s your chance to get creative! 5 measures, access to all of the notes, remember our melody writing rules and write me the best melody you can!

Note names and values:

HELP! I bumped my noggin while snorkeling off the coast of Zimbabwe and cannot remember the names and values of the notes and rests on the board so I can teach you. Can you teach me? Help me fill in the missing information on the board by making your way around Quavermusic.com

QMeasureup– Head to the music room and click on the arcade center. Play a game of Qmeasure up! It’s like tetris but instead of fitting in pieces you are fitting notes into each measure. 4 beats per measure only!

Qstrum– Boogie to the studio and click on the guitar. 10 measures maximum for this rockin’ tune. Click on a chord and then fill in a measure using the notes under “durations” by dragging and dropping. Remember to only use 4 beats per measure! Change chords every measure to add some rock and roll flavor to your song.

Astronotes– Go back to the arcade in the music room and play a game of Astronotes! Here’s the catch though, before you shoot it, you need to say the name of each note!

Rhythm and beat:
Tee Tee Tah Tee Tee Tah, There’s a mysterious beat coming from the closet! Help!! I think it’s the beat monster. We need to follow the steps around Quavermusic.com to discover our inner beat and rhythm and feed him some rhythms before the beat monster gets hungry!

Instrument in the shop– There are lots of instruments sitting around in the shop, how many can you find that will give you a beat that is steady? write one guess on the board before continuing.

Metro– Head to your favorite spot on the metro and listen to the music..can you find the beat in the song that is playing? Clap your hands to try to fin it!

QBackbeat– Now go to your last stop in the studio and click on the drum set! Gimme a killer beat, take your time, do your best, do not just fill in everything that is there! Pick and choose.

Style:
Time for an adventure on the Quavermusic metro! You all have full day passes to explore the world of Quaver and discover all of the music at each stop. Learn about at least two of your favorite stops and find your musical style!

Metro– Head on the metro to at least two spots that look interesting to you. Listen to what Mr. Quaver has to say and listen to the music. Click on menu and find out where you are on the map before heading back to the station!

Quaver Diploma– Pick one stop and try for a diploma at that stop by clicking on menu and book. Read about the music of that stop and answer the questions. If you get the diploma write your name on the board with the name of the stop to let your class know you got it!

Pick an instrument that would be most common in the music and write a short song about it– Head back to Quaver headquarters and hop into the studio. Pick an instrument in there that would be found a lot in the music you listened to on the metro and create a 3 measure song on that instrument. Listen to it and think, could I hear this in the music I’ve been listening to?

Composers:

Oh No!!! Bernard the Turtle (one of our musical friends in my classroom) built a time machine to travel back and meet his favorite composers. He said he would be back by now but he is not! Can you follow the steps around Quavermusic so we can find him?

Phone box – In the shop you will find our time machine the phone box! Jump inside and visit a composer that is listed. Learn about that composer by listening and read about him in the book, write a fact about them on the board!. Play the puzzle before you leave!

Slide puzzles– There are composer slide puzzles hidden in the shop! Can you find one and complete it?

Carnival– Beethoven lost his hearing at an early age. Head to the ear carnival by going into the lab and clicking on the organ. Really use your ears as you play the games at the carnival.

Chords:
1..2..3! 3 notes together is a chord to me! What else do you know about chords? Can you build one yourself? Can you build happy or sad chords? Follow the steps on Quavermusic.com to become a chord architect!

Find instruments in shop that have chords– There are many instruments that decorate the shop. How many can play those 3 notes at the same time? Write at least one guess on the board!

Carnival Chords– Head to the ear carnival by going to the lab and clicking the organ. Play the chord carnival game. Listen to all 3 notes the guys in the dunktank and choose the right ball. If the chord sounds happy then it must be major, sad is minor, BIG is augmented and if it sounds small it must be diminished!

QComposer– Now it’s your turn you chord architect. Head to the studio and click on the piano. Build me 4 F chords, 4 C chords, and 4 G chords using quarter notes only on the top line! Play your chords after to listen to your amazing work!